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• Keep an eagle eye out for The Haunted Mansion’s Hatbox Ghost

  Ever wonder what became of this infamous AA figure? Jim Hill shares what he knows about the alleged final resting place of Ol’ Hatbox Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:00 AM | 7 Comments Filed under: Disney, attraction, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Marc Davis, America Sings, Critter Country, Splash Mountain, Bruce Gordon, Audio Animatronic, The Haunted Mansion, Sleeping Beauty Castle, big fig, Shelly Smith, Sleeping Beauty, WDI, Imagineer, Fantasyland, Walt Disney Imagineering, Madame Leota, The Séance Circle , AA figure, Audio Animatronics, Hatbox Ghost, album, Ed Squair, D23, 1970s , attractions, 1980s, backstage, Security, Haunted Mansion O-Pin House, magazine article, pin, Disney twenty-three magazine , Imagineers, August, magazine , Disneyland the Nickel Tour: A Postcard Journey Through 40 Years of the Happiest Place on Earth, big figure, goons, AA figures, The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion, pins, O-Pin House, Security Host, 1969, Tony Baxter , Comic-Con , Comic-Con International, poster , Maleficent, posters, Tomorrowland, E Ticket, David Mumford, Disney Photo Library, Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-thru, Disney twenty-three

• Monster Mansion comes roaring back to life at Six Flags Over Georgia

  Jim Hill brings you a report from the press preview for this newly enhanced & restored attraction. Which -- FYI -- features a surprising amount of numbers to The Walt Disney Company Read More... Posted Monday, May 18, 2009 12:00 PM | 1 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Imagineering, WED, Splash Mountain, Song of the South, Imagineer, dark ride, Chickapen Hill, 2008, 2009, theme park attraction, 1967, 1981, rehab

• The Disneyland expansion plan that never happened

  In this week's "Why For" column, Jim Hill talks about the contents of a three ring binder. Which contains WED's plans -- circa 1982 -- to radically expand Disneyland's capacity until this theme park could comfortably handle 17 million Guests every year Read More... Posted Friday, November 14, 2008 12:00 AM | 4 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, Michael Eisner, WED, Disneyland, Epcot, America Sings, Country Bear Playhouse, Frank Wells, Walt Disney Productions, Epcot Center, The American Adventure, World Showcase, Tokyo Disneyland, France, WDI, it's a small world, Walt Disney Imagineering, attractions, shows, rides, ride, show, Mary Poppins, 1981, Tron , 1982, Tomorrowland

• Will pirates soon be returning to Treasure ... er ... Discovery Island?

  In this week's Why For, Jim Hill talks about the history of Treasure / Discovery Island. More importantly, how WDW Entertainment and Food & Beverage are allegedly thinking of using the "Pirates of the Caribbean" characters to help get this place re-opened Read More... Posted Friday, June 06, 2008 12:00 AM | 14 Comments Filed under: Disney, Why For, Imagineering, ABC, Johnny Depp, WED, Walt Disney World, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tom Sawyer Island, Lost, The Walt Disney Company, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Bay Lake, WDW Entertainment, WDI, WDW, Imagineer, cast members, cast member, Leota Toombs, 1974, 1998, 1976, 2008, Disney World, The Walt Disney World Resort, marshmallows, Food Service, Blackbeard's Ghost , 1967, Peter Ustinov , Captain Jack Sparrow, Food & Beverage , Imagineers, April , rum , Pirates of the Caribbean films, 1960s, Disney officials , Pirates of the Caribbean franchise , January, interactive, Capt. Jack Sparrow, Raz Island, boat ride , treasure hunt , marshmallow, marshmallow roast , Treasure Island, Discovery Island, wilderness preserve , Blackbeard's Island , wizards of WED , 1950, Robert Louis Stevenson , Ben Gunn's Cave, Future Attraction, Future Attractions , The Blockhouse , Long John Silver, buccaneer, buccaneers, Spy Glass Hill , Wreck of the Hispaniola, Hispaniola, bird sanctuary , skeleton, aviary, enclosure, buzzard, buzzards , vulture, vultures, treasure map , operational hours , Yo-Ho-Ho , dough-dough-dough, snack bar, honeymoon, honeymoon cottage, honeymoon cottages , interactive gaming , Myst, pirate-themed adventure , O-Pin House, WDW Food Services, corporate groups, rum drinks , Johnny Depp lookalike

• What a doll ! Remembering Joyce Carlson (1923 - 2008)

  Jim Hill pays tribute to this Disney Legend, who passed away this past Tuesday following a long bout with cancer Read More... Posted Friday, January 04, 2008 12:00 AM | 3 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Marc Davis, Anaheim, Peter Pan, Disney Legend, The Walt Disney Company, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, John Hench, Cinderella, Mary Blair, Sleeping Beauty, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney Parks & Resorts, WDI, it's a small world, WDW, Imagineer, Fantasyland, Walt Disney Studios, LaughingPlace, The Walt Disney World Resort, animated feature, ride, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, theme park attraction, Joyce Carlson, 1964 New York World Fair, New York World's Fair, retired, compliment, legacy, humble, concept phase, design phase, Disney Netpal, project development, detailed model, dimensional figure, Jim Korkis, 2003, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, doll, condolences, Hospice of the Comforter, Altamonte Springs, obituary

• Remembering Bruce Gordon (1951 - 2007)

  Jim Hill pays tribute to this much beloved author & Imagineer, who passed away this past weekend at the far-too-young age of 56 Read More... Posted Wednesday, November 07, 2007 12:00 AM | 21 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Epcot, The Jungle Cruise, Epcot Center, Tokyo Disneyland, Jeff Kurtti, Bruce Gordon, WDI, Imagineer

• Another Kingdom That Never Came: Disneyland expansion plans circa 1976

  As a follow-up to last week's "Why For," Jim Hill shares some excerpts from the Disneyland Long Range Masterplan. Which goes into great details about such never-built "lands" as the Lost Continent, Big Town U.S.A. and World Holiday Land Read More... Posted Friday, September 07, 2007 12:00 AM | 11 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, Why For, attraction, Imagineering, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Disney's California Adventure, California Screamin', The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Anaheim, Mysterious Island, Norway pavilion, The Magic Kingdom, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Hall of Presidents, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Charles Boyer, American Waterfront, Maelstrom, The Sun Wheel, Discovery Bay, Dumbo Circus

• "Walt's People -- Volume 5" is an entertaining addition to this ongoing Disney history series

  Jim Hill reviews Didier Ghez's latest book, which features a fascinating collection of interviews with various Disney Legends Read More... Posted Wednesday, July 25, 2007 12:00 AM | 1 Comments Filed under: animation, book, Disney, movies, other, theme park, Walt Disney, Visual Effects, Imagineering, traditional animation, Walt Disney Pictures, WED, Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Ron Clements, John Musker, Ward Kimball, Marc Davis

• Why (For) did Walt Disney actually have Disneyland's Submarine Voyage built ?

  Jim Hill reveals the hidden history of this soon-to-be-re-opening Tomorrowland attraction. Which only came about because the Ol' Mousetro was determined to "one up" the competition. Which -- back in 1958 -- was this recently rethemed Santa Monica amusement pier that had just been dubbed "Pacific Ocean Park" Read More... Posted Friday, June 08, 2007 12:00 AM | 27 Comments Filed under: Disney, theme park, TV, Why For, Walt Disney, attraction, ABC, WED, Pacific Ocean Park, CBS